Packet #43 Jonnie Onion Rings

So it's the day after the first day of a festival and you're dying. There's a long day ahead of you, what do you do? Go to the shop and buy several packs of crisps of course! So on the way to the bus I stopped in and decided to put Jonnie and his Onion Rings to the test.


There is a lovely aroma as soon as you open the bag and I noticed a good helping of onion rings too. I got stuck in, not letting the strange orange colour put me off. The flavour is a delightful sweet fried onion that gets stronger with each munch, which turned out to be a good thing this particular morning. There was a good crunch from each ring and not too much sticking to the back of my teeth. Another positive that morning.

There are many onion ring style crisps on the market and Jonnie has his boys right up there with the best of them. Overall a very pleasant experience. One which carried me through the day with a skip in my step and a stink in my breath.

Deano.

Packet #42 - King Salt & Vinegar

 King Salt And Vinegar are (sorry about this) crisp royalty here in the Emerald Isle. I’m not too sure why we love them but we do. Looking at the packet I think it’s down to the King himself. His zen like calm on the front ensures each consumer that they’re in safe hands. If it’s good enough for the King then surely it’s good enough for us.

When I was a lad, salt and vinegar were by far the worst crisp flavour available and I would only consider eating them after I was absolutely, 100% sure there were no other flavours left in the multi-pack from the Saturday shop.

Now I’m older, my taste-buds if not necessarily me, have matured. And Salt and Vinegar are up there with the top flavours. Here’s a tip if you’re out on a hot date (in the pub) buy some Salt and Vinegar, it’ll show that you’re willing to take risks and a free thinker! Cheese and Onion are a bit predictable, I’d imagine that Mr. King went down this route while trying to impress the prospective Mrs. King.

Now! To the crisp! King Salt and Vinegar are an epic eat. They really do live up to all expectations, jammed full of all the goodness you’d want. Every crisp has the same balance of flavour, King haven’t tried to hide these fantastic flavours. The bag I bought was jammed full of crisps too, something which should be applauded, you could even think about sharing them. But in fairness, maybe that’s more of a second date thing.

King Salt and Vinegar are an absolute must for any crisp lover! Are they the best S&V crisps in the world? Quite possibly.

Mark.

Happy Crispmas!!!!

My oh my, is it that time of year again!? Where does the year go eh? Today, the 25th of June is Crispmas Day for those of you who didn't know. So to celebrate go and buy your nearest and dearest your favourite bag of crisps, it couldn't be easier.

All the old Crispmas Day favourites are on the box, Wimbeldon, Glasto, they never get old do they! So settle back with the family and have a really peaceful day.

Go easy on the Cheese and Onion!!


Mark and Deano.

Packet #41 - KP Mini Chips Salt & Vinegar

Choosing a bag of crisps is difficult when you're undecided. Especially when you're in a shop that doesn't really have that much of a choice, I wanted something I hadn't had before and so I opted for KP Mini Chips. Chips? We aren't in America, so what are KP up to? Trying to convert us? No, KP have thought of an ingenious plan, they're like a bag chipper chips, but they're crisps! Smart? Let's find out.

The bag itself is smaller than other bags on offer, something I was immediately dubious about. Surely a bag this small couldn't contain anything worth talking about. Oh, that's where I was wrong. Opening the bag up you're confronted by loads (possibly close to one hundred) tiny little crisp sticks. Think of 'crinkled' crisps, but the crisps are only the crinkles, understand? These tiny sticks vary in length, but are definitely packed salt and vinegar tastiness. If you're not a big fan of S&V I'd advise some caution, the flavour is big but still tastes natural, which is good.

Obvious comparisons will be made with Chip Sticks. Are they better than Chips Sticks? Not even near, but they're a little different. Chips Sticks are corn based whereas these are made from 'real potato' I've never seen a fake potato, but I'm sure they're about. All in all I don't think I'll be returning to KP Mini Chips, if I want Crisps like Chips I'll have Chips Sticks, they're way more fun. But if I want potato style Salt and Vinegar Crisps I'll have some King. And if I want something that's like a bag of chips, I'll get a bag of chips. Eating these I kept on thinking, what exactly are these crisps trying to achieve? Was I actually thinking that? No, I was actually thinking, who will I sign next in my Pro Evolution Master League.

Mark

Packet #40 - Monster Munch Flamin' Hot

Whoa whoa whoa, don't throw that! Watch my head please. I know we Irish love to have a good debate about what happened Monster Munch and why we now have Mighty Munch. Well I'm not going to go into that here, you'll have to attend our next seminar for that nugget (generally held when we're eating crisps).

On to the crisps. Flamin' Hot, they say. At first munch they're not bad. Obviously you don't expect crisps to blow your head off like you've been eating handfuls of habaneros. But after a couple more you start to get a delicious spicy after taste in your mouth. Not many crisps can give you that. It's a wonderful sensation that will keep you coming back for more. You get a lovely, stick to the roof of your mouth, chunky crunch from each crisp. The kind which makes people in the cinema turn around and look at you. Which just adds to the delight.


I was surprised by how much I liked these Monster Munch and quite happily taken in by the marketing campaign of new/OLD. But really I'm just glad Monster Munch have brought back the old monsters.

Deano.

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Yours faithfully,

Mark & Deano. 

Packet #39 Tayto Snaps

We get all sorts of requests to review crisps here in Crispland. So when I was out for a friends birthday it came as no surprise when he whipped out a pack of Snaps that his housemate wanted reviewed. Now some people might feel a bit of pressure when handed crisps and told they're delicious but we don't. We're well used to it at this stage and that's why we'll always give our honest opinion.

Tayto make some fine crisps and have recently introduced a range of crisps 100 calories and under. Snaps fall into this category and I don't think it does them any favour. They are competing in the pickled onion flavour market and it's always going to be hard to beat Meanies. They're not a bad crisp, they're grand. A good crunch you'd expect from Tayto but the flavour is weak compared to other pickled onion flavoured snacks.

A decent choice if you're looking for a low calorie option but if you want the full pickled onion treat there's bigger players in the market. Namely Meanies and Monster Munch.

Deano.

Packet #38 - Crunchies - Prawn Cocktail Flavour

It was a cold day around three in the afternoon and I was on my way home. I needed something that would make my journey on the 78A (a dodgy bus) feel a bit more special. Although every journey on that particular route is always 'special'. Standing in the shop I opted for Crunchies, Prawn Cocktail flavour.

Apparently "Crunchies" are an old school crisp (can anyone confirm this?) but I'd never had them before, so I wasn't swayed by any child hood affiliations. I went to the top deck, up the very front of the bus (the safest place on the 78a) and began my munch.

When I think of Prawn Cocktail I immediately think of Skips, the only crisp I'm aware of that kind of has a "fizz" to it. So I was slightly dubious of Crunchies. But I'm pleased to report that I wasn't too disappointed. They're called Crunchies, but do they actually "Crunch?" Yes indeed they do. Do they honour the Prawn Cocktail flavour? Excellently. But, and I know this might sound little odd, considering they're crisps, they were a very dry crisp. And by the end of the packet I was pretty bored of the flavour, and very very thirsty, so thirsty in fact I considered asking one of my fellow passengers for a quick gulp of some their afternoon cider, but that would of been taking the 78a experience a little too far.

All things considered, Crunchies are fine, but they won't be taking the place of my Skips any time soon.

Mark